In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Ice Queen’.
The present variety was hybridized by me in 2000 as a first generation cross using ‘Snow Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) peach as the selected seed parent and an unnamed yellow flesh nectarine (unpatented) as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that summer, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2004 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of tree and fruit characteristics were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its unnamed pollen parent in several aspects, such as being a productive tree with large pink blossoms and reniform glands, but it is quite distinguished therefrom by producing white flesh freestone peaches instead of yellow flesh clingstone nectarines.
The present variety is most similar to its seed parent ‘Snow Princess’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) by having a vigorous tree with large blossoms and reniform leaf glands, being self-fertile, and producing white flesh freestone peaches that are large in size, mostly red in skin color, globose in shape, and firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that matures about seven days earlier, that is somewhat sweeter in flavor, and that has a flavor that is a balance between light acid and sugar, rather than sub-acidic. It is to be noted that the claimed ripening time for ‘Snow Princess’ peach in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570 was Jul. 20, 2000. It has been determined during subsequent years that the ripening time for ‘Snow Princess’ peach is usually near August 1st, with the actually date of first pick recorded this year as Jul. 27, 2012.